Teenagers with high body mass index (BMI) scores may be at risk of developing early chronic kidney disease in young adulthood, scientists have said.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. CKD occurs when the kidneys become damaged and cannot effectively filter toxins and waste from our blood. This excess fluid and waste can build up in the body and result in a host of other health problems, such as heart disease and stroke. Risk factors include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity in adults. However, the association between teenage obesity and early CKD has so far been understudied.
Roughly 1 in 6 children between the ages of 10 and 17 in the United States are obese, according to the National Survey of Children's Health. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of over 30, while anything over 25 is considered overweight. While BMI is not always a reliable measure of health—for example, athletes often have a higher BMI due to their high muscle composition, which weighs more than fat—it can serve as a useful measurement when assessing the health problems associated with obesity in population-based studies.
In an analysis of over 593,000 adolescents aged between 16 and 20, a team of researchers led by Gilad Twig from the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research in Israel explored the relationship between high BMIs and early CKD. To assess CKD, the researchers measured the presence of a blood protein called albumin in the participants' urine. This is a marker of kidney disease and ineffective filtration of the blood. It is also a causal risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke.
The team had previously shown an association between higher adolescent BMI and a need for kidney replacement therapy. This latest study also demonstrates a clear association between high BMI and early CKD, with a greater risk seen among those with more severe obesity. This association was seen even in the absence of diabetes, hypertension and other obesity-associated risk factors. Their results were published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
The exact biochemical mechanisms underlying this association are still unclear, but researchers believe it may be due to a combination of factors. For example, fat tissue secretes molecules that can cause inflammation in the kidneys and soluble fats can build up in the organs.
Men appeared to be more vulnerable to these effects than women. The researchers said this may be due to the kidney-protective effects of the hormone estrogen and the differences in fat distribution between sexes.
The team hopes that the results will help support adolescents with higher BMIs to manage the risk factors associated with kidney disease and to underscore the importance of mitigating adolescent obesity in the U.S. and beyond.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
